Brothers Judd Top 100 of the 20th Century: Novels (76)

There is a young legend developing on the west side
of the mountains. It will, inevitably, grow
with the years. Like all legends, it is composed
of falsehood and fact. In this case, the truth is
more compelling than the trappings of imagination
with which it has been invested. The man who
has become a legendary figure was, perhaps, of greater
stature in simple reality than he will ever be
in the oft-repeated, and expanded, tales which commemorate
his deeds. Here, before the whole
matter gets out of hand, is how it was...

His name was Homer Smith.
-The Lilies of the Field

And why do you worry about clothing? Consider
the lilies of the field, how they grow; they
neither toil nor spin, yet I tell you, even Solomon
in all his glory was not clothed like one of these.
But if God so clothes the grass of the field, which
is alive today and tomorrow is thrown into the
oven, will he not much more clothe you- you of little
faith? Therefore do not worry, saying, 'What
will we eat?' or 'What will we drink?' or 'What
will we wear?' For it is the gentiles who strive for
all these things. But strive first for the Kingdom
of God and His righteousness, and all these things
will be given to you as well. 'So do not worry
about tomorrow, for tomorrow will bring worries
of its own. Today's trouble is enough for
today.
-Matthew 6:28-34

It's maddening to see so many references to The Lilies of the Field,
both book and movie, as "minor." Sure, it's a short book. Yes,
the characters and situation are so idealized that it's nearly a fable.
No, it does not accurately reflect the state of race relations in America
in the early 1960s, nor at any other time anywhere, for that matter.
But ask yourself this : how many books have you read in your life that
actually made you feel more optimistic about the prospects of the species
? If it's really that easy to create sympathetic characters and write
a story that uplifts the spirits, why haven't more authors written them
? Isn't it fair to conclude that the paucity of such stories, and
the memorable nature of this one, indicate just how major an occurrence
it is when one gets written ?

At any rate, hopefully everyone knows the tale, either from the great
film or from a required reading in High School. As the opening lines
above indicate, Homer Smith is a nearly mythological figure, a kind of
John Henry, Paul Bunyan, or Shane. In an unlikely turn of events,
this black Baptist former Army sergeant ends up helping some Catholic nuns,
refugees from East Germany, to build a chapel in the New Mexico desert,
despite a lack of help, tools, and materials.

Homer Smith brings an invaluable set of qualities to his task, chief
among them : self confidence, self reliance, a puritan work ethic, and
a healthy amount of pride. Mother Maria Marthe, the Teutonic leader
of the tiny band of nuns, brings one great gift, faith :

Faith. It is a word for what is unreasonable.
If a man believes in an unreasonable thing, that is
faith.

Mother genuinely believes that God will provide, even that Homer has
been sent by God, and that He will see to it that the chapel is built.
The powerful combination of this mismatched pair's inner strengths serves
as an inspiration to the entire community. Hispanic, Anglo, and Black;
Catholic and Protestant; wealthy and poor; German, Mexican, and American;
they come together to create a unique house of worship. And as the
legend of Homer Smith grows in the desert, Mother Maria Marthe says of
him :

'That is the chapel of Saint Benedict the Moor.
... That painting of the saint is the work of Sister
Albertine. The model was a man named Schmidt
who came to us under the direction of God. He
built this chapel with his two hands under great
difficulties. It is all from him.'

She pauses then and her voice drops. 'He was
not of our faith, nor of our skin,' she says, 'but he
was a man of greatness, of an utter devotion.'

Just as Homer's devotion to his task and Mother's faith give them a
certain greatness, the aspirational beauty of this book gives it too a
greatness that defies that parsimonious "minor" classification.